Narrative of a Survey of the Intertropical and Western Coasts of Australia — Vol. 1: Performed between the years 1818 and 1822King, Philip Parker
History
Narrative of a Survey of the Intertropical and Western Coasts of Australia — Vol. 1: Performed between the years 1818 and 1822
King, Philip Parker
Australia -- Description and travel; Natural history -- Australia
The next morning land was again indistinctly seen bearing East 12 degrees
South. At ten a.m. it was clearly visible, as well as a peaked hill which
bore East 1/2 North. We were now in a current setting rapidly to the
westward and soon lost a great portion of the ground that we had been so
long toiling to gain. In the evening the wind veering to East-South-East
enabled us to steer to the southward and to get out of the influence of
the current.
October 30 to 31.
From this to the 31st we had made little progress to the eastward; but in
the afternoon a breeze set in from West-South-West and brightened our
prospects: our water being now nearly expended, no time was to be lost,
and we steered for the Strait of Rottee in order to pass through that of
Samow; but the wind was so light that, not being sufficiently advanced
before dark, we bore up, and passed round the west side of Pulo Samow
with a breeze from South-East which continued during the night...
1819. November 1.
And by daylight had carried us near the north-west end of the island; at
nine a.m. the sea breeze set in from South-West and West, and gradually
increasing, we happily succeeded in arriving off the town of Coepang
where we moored at one-fifth of a mile from the flagstaff of Fort
Concordia, bearing South 14 1/2 degrees East.
Mr. Roe went on shore soon after anchoring to wait upon the Resident, and
to inform him of the purport of our visit: he found that our former
friend Mr. Hazaart was at Batavia, and that his place was temporarily
supplied by Mr. Halewyn; from whom we experienced such assistance and
attention as enabled us to complete our wood and water and to obtain
refreshments for the crew by the eighth day.
November 1 to 9.
The refreshments consisted of sheep, coconuts, limes, bananas, mangoes,
and the Jaca fruit. The sheep weighed from twelve to sixteen pounds and
were charged at about seven shillings and seven pence each. Limes were
very scarce, and oranges, pompions, and other vegetables which were most
wanted, were not to be procured at this season. Honey was very plentiful
and good and was preferred by our people to the gulah, of which we got
large quantities last year.
The weather during the first three or four days of our stay was fine but
afterwards damp and showery with a succession of land winds, which
affected us all with colds; so that we lost no time in leaving the bay
the moment that our wants were supplied, which was at sunset on the
ninth.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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